Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers (Keira Knightley) at Britain’s top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II. The film spans the key periods of Turing’s life: his unhappy teenage years at boarding school; the triumph of his secret wartime work on the revolutionary electro-mechanical bomb that was capable of breaking 3,000 Enigma-generated naval codes a day; and the tragedy of his post-war decline. To purchase tickets with your credit card in advance, please use our new online payment portal.

Christa Richmond graduates valedictorian from a prestigious university and in the next 36 hours of her life, Christa’s real education begins. Commencement is a funny, romantic and thought-provoking look at three generations of a middle class family caught in the wake of the current fiscal crisis.

A gripping suspense film about four strong women overcoming a cycle of violence.

“Shining Night” is a tribute to a living legend, celebrating the life and music of the artist Morton Lauridsen. National Medal of Arts recipient and most frequently performed American choral composer, Lauridsen expresses a presence of fierce compassion and unwavering dedication to the craft of composition.

A musical journey which follows the making of an album that spans 9 countries and 14 different cities. Follow

Independent Singer/ Songwriter Steve Carlson as he discovers musical inspiration from around the world and unexpectedly finds his muse, the woman who will become the love of his life.

A children’s book author is told that her new manuscript needs to be ‘darker’, but when her revisions piss off the characters in the book, they come back to make some changes of their own.

Milo, a street-performing mime, must battle his own shyness and a dancing robot to ask the girl of his dreams: Will you be mime?

Three estranged brothers must journey to a remote location in order to receive their inheritance due to a stipulation in their parents will. As they hike deeper into the rain forest, old issues are rehashed, and tension runs high.

Tom, a biracial cop passing as white, pleads with his black mother not to protest during a race riot in 1921 Tulsa. But when a lynch mob sets out to burn the community they call ‘Little Africa,’ Tom must fight to protect his mother from the massacre.

A wealthy cotton gin executive is confronted by a disgruntled former employee demanding the return of an arm lost in the gin’s machinery, in Oscar-winning writer Horton Foote’s chilling drama, One Armed Man.

The Newport Effect covers the history of the legendary Newport Folk Festival and its profound impact on the world of folk music and social activism. Infamous as the place where Bob Dylan ‘went electric’ in 1965, the reach of the festival goes far beyond that iconic moment.

In 1953, a young actor / writer in Hollywood was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and asked the question: ‘Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party? In refusing to answer, Nedrick Young was blacklisted from Hollywood. Nedrick Young wrote ‘The Defiant One’ and won an academy award for it... but he couldn’t use his real name.

A young man hires a dating service that employs a cute dog as a chick magnet in order to get guys dates.

Under desperate circumstances, and across vast distances, an intense connection is made.

Our 2011 Opening Night Film, "The Artist" was the first time the film had been shown in the United States after a incredulous opening internationally. Following the Asheville Cinema Festival, “The Artist” was released across the United States a few short weeks later and received strongly positive reviews from critics and won many accolades. Dujardin won the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where the film premiered. The film was nominated for six Golden Globes, the most of any 2011 film, and won three: Best Motion Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Actor. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five, "The Artist" went on to become the most awarded French film in history.

Our 2012 opening night film, “Silver Linings Playbook,” premiered at the Asheville Cinema Festival on November 1st, 2012 prior to its release across the United States on November 16th, 2012. This film opened to major critical success and has since earned numerous accolades. It received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Russell, in addition to achieving the rare feat of being nominated in all four acting categories. Jennifer Lawrence’s outstanding performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, which she also won at the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Please let us know if you would like to volunteer at this year's festival! The Asheville Cinema Festival wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and support from our gracious volunteers each year. We would love for you to help out and to see some excellent films!